Patrick Leahy

I find it difficult to understand how supporting all of our Nation's first responders, on an equal basis, exceeds Congress's proper and traditional constitutional role.

Corporations are not the same as individual Americans. Corporations do not have the same rights or the same morals or the same interests.

We ought to be heard as Vermonters and not be undercut by corporate spending, but that is exactly what is happening with the waves of corporate money being spent on elections around the country.

Our efforts to restore transparency in campaign finance laws were gutted by a narrow conservative activist majority of the Supreme Court and we cannot wait any longer.

The Founders understood this. Americans across the country long understood that corporations are not people in this political process.

I strongly endorse what you have done. I think it is a great move forward.

It is a lot better than it used to be.

I think the Senate is fortunate.

I am delighted you are here because I know how hard you worked to put together bipartisan coalitions.

Remember, this bill passed 19-0 in the Committee last year. We have bipartisan support. It will pass.

I welcome your support for a private right of action, and my hope is that it will be in too big to fail.

This is a major, major issue. The transfer of wealth that Senator Whitehouse talked about is not overstated.

The No. 1 most important thing is to make it more difficult for these criminals to find a market here in the United States.

Thank you very much. I share your frustration.

This Committee has had a long record of working together in a bipartisan way on a whole number of issues.

I introduced legislation, cosponsored by 12 other Senators on this Committee, to combat 'rogue websites' that do nothing but traffic in infringing material.

We are simply not addressing what is particularly in our economy a really catastrophic loss of wealth to the American people.

Advertisers, payment processors, ISPs, anybody who is profiting from this, whether intentionally or not, once put on notice, needs to desist from aiding these illegal enterprises.

I think it is a very important issue.

People can die from that. And that we should be concerned about.

There will be legislation, and it would have been helpful to have had their testimony here as we prepare for it.

The legislation will be much more successful if it is worked out in really cooperative fashion.

I want to thank the witnesses who are here today to testify about how we can make some progress in the fight against online copyright infringement and also the sale of counterfeit goods.

I see this nomination, and today's hearing, as the predictable consequence of Mark's passion for service.

I have known Mark for many years and am proud of his accomplishments as a lifelong public servant.